The Holy Martyr Barlaam.

November 19

From the Prologue

He was born in Antioch, and was harshly tortured by the dishonourable judge
for his faith in Christ the Lord. The judge decided to use ridicule, and to put
such pressure on him that he would offer sacrifice to idols. He accordingly took
him to the temple and applied fire to his palm, putting incense on the fire with
the thought that the martyr would be forced by the pain to throw the fire and
incense from his hand in front of the idols, and thus involuntarily offer them
incense. But this heroic soldier of Christ held the fire on his palm, and would
not cast it before the idols, until his fingers were burned and fell off, and his
palm was burned through and fell to the ground with the fire. 'He had a right
hand stronger than fire', said St Basil the Great, 'for, though the flames
consumed it, still the hand held the fire as ash.' Chrysostom writes: 'The angels
looked from the heights; the archangels beheld, for the scene was majestic,
surpassing in truth all human nature. Lo, who would not wish to see a man who
made such an ascetic endeavour and did not feel that which it is common to man to
feel; a man who was himself the altar of sacrifice, and the sacrifice, and the
priest?' When his hand had burned off, his body fell dead to the ground and his
soul went to the eternal rest of his Lord and Saviour. This glorious and heroic
elder suffered in the year 304.